Palestinian Worker Killed by Israeli Forces While Climbing West Bank Barrier

Overview

• Israeli forces shot Imad Haroun Ishtayeh in the thigh as he climbed the barrier near al‑Ram, and surgeons at the Palestinian Medical Complex in Ramallah were unable to stop fatal bleeding after the wound severed a main artery on Sunday.
• Family members said Ishtayeh had closed his poultry shop because of economic hardship and was trying to find work to support his father and siblings when he attempted the crossing.
• Palestinian trade‑union leaders said this was the fifth worker killed this year trying to reach Jerusalem and described the targeting of climbers as systematic, while WAFA and the unions reported roughly 50 workers killed and more than 38,000 arrests since Oct. 7, 2023.
• Video circulating online showed people carrying the wounded man down a ladder from the barrier as traffic passed, and Israeli police did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the shooting.
• The killing underscores the wider problem created after Oct. 7, 2023, when many Israeli work permits were cancelled, pushing Palestinians to risky crossings that have produced hundreds of injuries, rising arrests, and growing humanitarian and political tensions.